Chocolate Mystery
by Dede42
Summary: When a new chocolate shop opens in Ponvyille, every pony is excited to have access to excellent hoof-made chocolates. But when some pony tries to sabotage the shop, it's up to the Mane Seven and their new friend, Salted Caramel, to solve the mystery. Can they do it?
1. Chapter 1: A NEW SHOP!

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Chocolate Mystery

A/N: Hey, guys, I'm back with the first chapter of my new original story that was inspired by some of the mystery books I've been reading lately, and I'm relieved to say that Sunrise managed to get myself, her, and Lyra back to our normal selves before I had to go to work yesterday.

Sunrise Blossom: (enters the writers studio and notices that there are framed artwork all over the place) What's with all the artwork, Dede42?

Dede42: I'm trying to decide which of my artwork will be going into an art show that I took part in last year. It's for those with Autism to show off their art skills.

Sunrise Blossom: Neat.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE: A NEW SHOP!**

It was a sunny day in Ponyville, and the inhabitants were talking up a storm about a new shop that was opening soon on the town square. They were excited because it was going to be a chocolate shop and it was part of a chain of chocolate shops found nearly everywhere in Equestria.

"Funville Chocolates, can you believe it?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly. "They make some of the _best_ chocolates in all of Equestria, and the Cakes are excited since they're good friends with the owners and they'd been helping sell their chocolates in Ponyville for a while now."

"I know, and to have one of their shops in Ponyville is quite exciting," Rarity agreed.

Sunrise Blossom nodded. "Indeed, and from what I hear, they still make their chocolates the old-fashion way, and not with any overly fancy equipment."

"From what I hear, one of the family members that runs the business is moving to Ponyville to run the new shop," Applejack remarked.

"Cool!" said Rainbow Dash, grinning. "Maybe he or she will show everypony how they make those awesome chocolates."

"It's a possibility," Twilight Sparkle agreed.

"And we'll make a new friend, too," Fluttershy added, smiling.

Yes, it was an exciting time in Ponyville, and they couldn't wait to see how things would turn out when Funville Chocolates would open and which member of the Chocolate Hearts family would be coming to run it.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, constructions on the new shop was the talk of the town and many ponies walked by the sight to see how it was going, and Rarity was pleasantly surprised when she was asked to help consult on both the interior and exterior design of the shop at the request of the Chocolate Hearts family.

* * *

A few days before the grand opening of Funville Chocolates, the train from Canterlot arrived and waiting on the platform were Mayor Mare, Mrs. Cake, and the Mane Seven. They were eagerly waiting for the arrival of the pony who would be running the new chocolate shop.

"The train's here!" Pinkie Pie squealed as the train came to a halt next to the platform. "The train's here!"

"We can see that, Pinkie," said Applejack with a slight chuckle.

The doors on the train cars opened and a number of ponies exited the train. Among them was a female unicorn with milk chocolate skin, light brown freckles on her nose, deep blue eyes, light blue hair with white streaks (her hame was done up in a bun), and a coffee cup surrounded by cocoa beans cutie mark. She was followed by a younger unicorn with golden skin, ocean blue eyes, light brown freckles under her eyes, long sunflower yellow hair, and a dark brown calculator cutie mark.

"Coco Latté," said Mrs. Cake, greeting them. "Good to see you again, and who is this?"

"Wonderful to see you again, too, Cup Cake," said Coco Latté, smiling. "This is my niece, Salted Caramel."

"Hi," said her niece with a shy smile, revealing her southern accent.

"Why I didn't know that your niece was going to be living with you, Coco," Mrs. Cake remarked. "What brings you all the way from Hoofton?" (A/N: Which is a play on Huston. I know, not my best pun, but I don't do puns all that often.) And she quickly apologized when the golden unicorn blushed. "Oh, I didn't mean to pry or anything like that, sweetie."

Salted Caramel shook her head. "Oh no, no, it's no problem Mrs. Cafe – I mean Mrs. Cake!" she said quickly, her face going red. "Sorry, when I'm nervous I tend to twist my woods – I mean my words! Oh here I go again."

"There's nothing to be embarrass about, sweetheart," Coco Latté told her niece reassuringly. "Now, who are these other ponies, Cup Cake?"

Taking the hint, Mrs. Cake did the introductions. "Of course, these are Mayor Mare, the mayor of Ponyville, and the Mane Seven: Twilight Sparkle, Sunrise Blossom, who runs the Starlight Apothecary, Applejack, whose family runs Sweet Apple Acres, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, who owns and runs Carousel Boutique, Pinkie Pie, who works at Sugarcube Corner with me, and Fluttershy."

"A pleasure to meet you both."

"Welcome."

"Please to meet ya both."

"Hi there."

"A pleasure, darlings."

"Hi!"

"Hi."

"A pleasure to have you both here, for sure," said Mayor Mare with a big smile. "I hope you both will enjoy living in Ponyville, and we're all looking forward to the opening of your shop."

"And we're looking forward to it, too," Coco Latté agreed while her niece nodded in agreement.

While Mayor Mare went back to town hall, Mrs. Cake and the Mane Seven gave Coco Latté and Salted Caramel a tour of Ponyville, introducing them to the other ponies, including Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, Miss Cheerilee, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Zecora, Spike, Dr. Hooves, and Derpy.

After the tour was done, Coco Latté and Salted Caramel went to the local B&B to spend the next few days until it was time for the grand opening of Funville Chocolates.

* * *

When the day for the grand opening arrived, the entire town turned out for the event, which was also being presided by Princess Celestia, and after Mayor Mare gave her speech, Coco Latté used her pale blue magic to pick up the gold scissors and cut the ribbon to the chocolate shop, resulting in a lot of cheers.

The exterior of the chocolate shop was painted a golden brown color that glowed in the sunlight, the roof was a light brown, there were blue flowers planted in front of the shop, the shutters were also a light brown, and above the light brown door was a white sign with _Funville Chocolates_ written on it in gold letters.

* * *

The interior of the shop, which was two stories, was also light brown with a gold cocoa bean pattern on the walls, the floor was partly covered with blue/gold circular rugs, there were gold chandeliers with diamonds and sapphires hanging from the white ceiling, a circular staircase with a gold railing that led to the second floor that held the personal quarters for Coco Latté and Salted Caramel. Back on the ground floor was light brown shelves designed to hold the chocolates, a long counter with a glass front, and behind the counter were more shelves to display the molds used by the family for special chocolates. There was also a door leading into the back, where there was a workroom for the making of the chocolates, storage rooms, a special green house for the cocoa trees to grow in, and other rooms for Coco Latté, Salted Caramel, and their employees, which were all ponies from Ponyville.

"Oh, you did a wonderful job consulting for us, Miss Rarity," said Coco Latté with a delighted smile and the grey unicorn actually flushed with pleasures. "It's exactly how we wanted it to be, including the curtains." And she nodded to the blue/gold curtains that framed the windows on both floors. "What do you think, Salted Caramel?"

"I think it's all wonderful, Aunt Coco," Salted Caramel agreed, admiring the interior. "Absolutely wonderful."

* * *

After the grand opening of the chocolate shop, Coco Latté, Salted Caramel, and the ponies employed went to work on making chocolates to sell, and they even took orders from the Ponyville ponies, including orders for special occasions. And while this was going on, Salted Caramel did become friends with the Mane Seven.

* * *

A/N: I hope you all enjoy this story! R&R everyone!


	2. Chapter 2: ENTER NIGHT HARVEST

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Chocolate Mystery

A/N: Sorry, if the ending to the Dr. Whooves story was so confusing, but I was kinda in a rush the day I wrote it due to work and other things. And I hope this chapter for _Chocolate Mystery_ will help with any confusion you're dealing with, Roleplayer48. Didn't mean to leave you confused.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO: ENTER NIGHT HARVEST**

One day, Salted Caramel was in her office and having lunch with Twilight Sparkle, Sunrise Blossom, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. The golden unicorn hadn't had a lot of time to spend with her new friends since she was in charge of the financial side of the chocolate business while Coco Latté was in charge of the chocolate making side of the chocolate business.

"So, you're from Hoofton originally, Salted Caramel?" Twilight Sparkle inquired, having been curious about that ever since their first meeting.

Salted Caramel nodded. "Yup, that's where most of the Caramel family lives, that and Prairie Creek is where my parents live," she answered. "Why you ask, Twilight?"

"Well, Mrs. Cake was surprised to see you," the purple unicorn replied. "And you did flush when she asked her question about why you were in Ponyville."

"Um, Twi," Sunrise Blossom began, but the gold unicorn interrupted her.

"It's ok, Sunrise," said Salted Caramel. "I guess it is time that tail – I mean tell my story," she admitted. "You see, until about four months ago, I had been a business partner with this rich stallion named Night Harvest, who has-"

"Wait," Rarity interrupted, "are you saying that you were friends with _the_ Night Harvest of the elite Midnight Star restaurant chain?"

Salted Caramel nodded. "The one and the same," she confirmed. "We'd been good friends growing up and when he took over the restaurant business, he brought me on as a financial manager, and I was thrilled since I've always been good with numbers and math. For four years, we were a team and the business grew because of how I was able to handle the finances, and our own friendship grew even stronger – or so I thought. Four months ago, that all changed when he brought in a new financial manager to take over my position and insisted that I only attend public events with him. It was then I realized that he didn't want me working on the finances because he thought that a pony that looked like me should be on display like a _thing_. When I confronted him about this, Night Harvest shrugged and said, "Why not?" And that was the last straw for me, and I left to go back to my family."

"That's _horrible_!" Sunrise Blossom gasped. "To just throw away your friendship like that."

"It was," Salted Caramel agreed. "I was able to get a job in the family business and when Aunt Coco told me that she was moving to Ponyville to open a shop here, I saw it as a chance to start over, and so I came with her."

"And we're all glad that you did come here, too, darling," Rarity agreed and they spent the rest of their lunch talking about fun things instead.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Funville Chocolates was busy with business, and Coco Latté even invited the students from the school to see how the chocolates were made, and got to make chocolates of their own.

* * *

"As you can see here," said Coco Latté, nodding to a pair of female unicorns who were using their magic to carry trays of completed chocolates to the shelves. "Magic is used for some parts of the chocolate making process, but much of it involves using hooves instead. This way, the chocolate is always ready to be put in the display cases at the start of each day."

Peppermint Twist held up a hoof. "Miss Coco, what kind of flavors do you put in your chocolates?" she asked.

"We use all kinds of flavors in our chocolates," Coco Latté answered. "We also use different kinds of fillings, and we even topped them different. It all depends on what the customers prefer since every pony likes something different."

Apple Bloom held up her hoof. "Do you use fruit in your fillings?"

"Yes we do use fruit from time to time," Coco Latté replied and them over to shelves lined with glass jars and bottles filled with all kinds of liquids and creams. "Here are all the creams and liquids that we can use to fill the truffles and bonbons…"

As she spoke, Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes and leaned over to whisper in Silver Spoon's ear. "I can't believe that we're here to learn about _candy_." And they both quietly giggled.

"Actually," said Salted Caramel, walking up behind the two fillies, making them jump, "here, they are chocolates and not candy. You see, candy are wrapped up while chocolates like truffles, bonbons, and even the molded chocolates are never wrapped up in colorful paper like candies. Right, Aunt Coco?"

"That's right, Caramel," Coco Latté agreed and lead them to a room, where other ponies were placing finished chocolates into boxes and tying them up with different colored ribbons. "Here, we put the desired chocolates into boxes and tie them up with ribbons. Like my niece said, that tends to be the big difference between hoof-made chocolates and candies made by artificial means. Now, who's ready to try their hooves at making truffles and bonbons? Who knows, you might even get to make some molded chocolates, too."

The students all cheered and followed her back into the main work room while Salted Caramel chuckled and went back to her office, where she could see what was going on in the lobby thanks to a window in one of the walls. Sitting down at her desk, she resumed looking over the paperwork for orders, supplies that they would need reorder, and what they were earning with the sales.

' _We're well into the black,'_ Salted Caramel thought, magically opening a drawer to extract a chocolate truffle (dark chocolate with caramel filling), which she popped into her mouth as it was one of her favorites. _'Which is the best place to be when you're running a business.'_ She looked up when she heard the gold bell over the door ring, and her heart sank when a unicorn stallion with dark purple skin, dark brown eyes, black hair, and three red dollar signs cutie mark. _'Oh no, is_ he _here?!'_

* * *

Sneaking out of her office, Salted Caramel snuck into the work room, where the students were busy making chocolates and having giggle fits as they tried to make basic chocolate truffles, bonbons, and chocolate molds under the supervision of Coco Latté and some of the worker ponies. She gestured to her aunt and they went into one of the storage rooms.

"What is it, Caramel?" Coco Latté asked, concerned since it was unlike her niece to act like this.

"Night Harvest is out front," Salted Caramel informed her aunt. "I saw him, and he's looking around at the displays."

"Did he see you?" Coco Latté asked, her concern growing since she knew what that _pony_ had done to her niece's emotional state four months ago, and she didn't want to see her get hurt by the same pony a second time. "Does he he know that you're here?" she asked when her niece shook her head to the first question, and she also shook her head to the second question. "Ok, it could be that he's just passing through to go elsewhere," she suggested.

"Maybe, or maybe he's here to cause us trouble and convince me to return to Hoofton with him," her niece suggested.

Coco Latté shook her head. "I refuse to believe that," she said firmly. "How about you check on the fillies while I go out front to see what Night Harvest wants, besides chocolates."

"Ok."

* * *

Coco Latté entered the front of the shop and moved behind the counter, where she could keep an eye on the stallion, who was currently wandering around the shop, looking around at the shelves and the chocolates on display. "Has he talked to you?" she asked the pony working the counter.

"Nope, he's just been looking," the green pony answered. "Why?"

"Just wondering," Coco Latté replied.

* * *

Meanwhile in the workroom, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo were working on filling molds shaped like bears with melted dark chocolate, and they were being careful with the pouring since they didn't want to accidentally dump any of the chocolate on the table or even on the floor, where there was the chance that a pony would accidentally slip on it.

"Wouldn't it be _neat_ if we got our cutie marks in chocolate making?" Scootaloo asked, carefully pushing the molds aside for the worker ponies to take care of while she set up more bear molds.

"Those would be great cutie marks to have," Sweetie Belle agreed, magically picking up the ladle to scoop the melted chocolate out of the hot pot that held the liquid chocolate.

Apple Bloom nodded. "It sure would," she agreed, grabbing a ladle to help in scooping and pouring the liquid chocolate into the molds. "Careful now, don't want to-"

" _Boo!_ "

"Yeek!" the Cutie Mark Crusaders shrieked, jumping off the stools, and dark chocolate got sent flying everywhere, forcing the worker ponies, Miss Cheerilee, and the fillies to scatter to avoid getting hit.

Seeing this, Salted Caramel's horn began glowing blue and she magically captured the liquid chocolate, returning it to the pot. Once the last of the chocolate was back in the pot, she turned to frown at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, and they were under one of the tables, giggling. "That wasn't a very nice thing to do," she scolded, and they both stopped giggling. "Somepony could've gotten hurt."

"Sorry," said the two fillies.

"I'm _so_ sorry that that happen, Miss Caramel," Miss Cheerilee apologized and then she proceeded to informed Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon that when they got back to the school, they would be writing papers of why scaring somepony when they're around hot liquid chocolate is a bad thing.

"No pony got hurt, Miss Cheerilee," Salted Caramel reassured the teacher, "and that's what really matters right now."

* * *

While that was going on in the back, out front, Coco Latté was still keeping a close eye on Night Harvest, who was still looking round at the different chocolates until he finally made his way to the counter, and she saw her chance to find out why he was in Ponyville.

"Can I help you, sir?" she asked politely.

"Yes, what can you tell me about these chocolates here?" Night Harvest inquired, nodding to a tray full of diamond-shaped chocolates that had a silver design on top.

Coco Latté magically removed the tray and set it on the counter. "These are the Midnight Diamonds Truffles," she explained. "They're made out of extra dark chocolate surrounding a blueberry filling and each of them have the same silver star design on top." She magically picked up one of the truffles and presented it to the stallion. "All visitors to Funville Chocolates gets to sample one of our excellent chocolates."

"Why thank you, ma'am," said Night Harvest and his horn glowed dark brown so that he could magically accept the truffle, but he didn't take a bite right away. "Tell me, Miss Latté, is your niece here? I heard a rumor that she moved to Ponyville with you."

' _And now I can figure out_ why _he came here,'_ Coco Latté thought. "I'm afraid that she's out delivering some orders," she lied. "And she has too much to do after that since this is a business that never really slows down, no matter what the season," she added. "I'll let her know that you stopped by, Mr. Harvest."

Night Harvest didn't look convinced, but he did sample the truffle, said that it was quite nice, and then ordered a half-pound of the Midnight Diamond Truffles. Once the truffles were in their two boxes, he magically picked them up, and he left the stop.

Shaking her head, Coco Latté went back into the workroom to see how the students were doing and let her niece know what had had happen.

* * *

A/N: Hmm, now what could Night Harvest _really_ be up to? R&R everyone!


	3. Chapter 3: WHO RUINED THE CHOCOLATE!

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Chocolate Mystery

A/N: I'm sorry that this is still confusing, and I don't hate you, Roleplayer48. I admit that I was kinda in a rush when I wrote this since I was getting ready for my vacation at the time. Hopefully you'll keep reading and it'll make more sense to you soon.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE: WHO RUINED THE CHOCOLATE?!**

Over the week, Salted Caramel did her best to avoid Night Harvest and when the Mane Seven asked her what was wrong when she'd hidden herself in the dressing room at Rarity's shop when she'd seen the stallion heading their way, she told her friends the rest of the story.

"You see, after I left to go back to my parents," Salted Caramel explained, "Night Harvest didn't take it very well, and he started threatening my family, both the Caramels _and_ the Chocolate Hearts, that if I didn't return to him, he would ruin both businesses and their lives at the same time. Luckily, my parents knew some good lawyers that were able to get him to back off, especially when they threatened to take the case to Princess Celestia herself. However, with him now here, I'm worried that he'll try to win me back in his own twisted way."

"Don't worry, Caramel," said Pinkie Pie. "We won't let him hurt you _or_ your aunt."

"Yeah, if we can stop Nightmare Moon," said Rainbow Dash, "then keeping Night Harvest in line should be a piece of cake."

The pink pony looked around excitedly. "Cake? Where? Where?!"

"Rainbow didn't actually mean cake, Pinkie," Applejack pointed out. "Anyhoo, I wager that when he realizes that you don't want anything to do with him, he'll go back to Hoofton, and you'll never see him again."

"I'm with Applejack," Rarity agreed. "Just be patient, darling, and everything will work out in the end."

Twilight Sparkle, Sunrise Blossom, and Fluttershy all agreed that things would work out and Night Harvest would probably leave soon.

' _I hope you're all right,'_ Salted Caramel thought. _'Really hope that you're right.'_

* * *

That night while the ponies of Ponyville were fast asleep, somepony or something, quietly entered the back of the shop, and went into the workroom. Minutes passed until the figure exited the workroom, and left the shop, disappearing into the shadows.

* * *

The next day at the shop, Salted Caramel was in her office, catching up on some paperwork when a cry of disgust came from the front room. Looking up, she saw that several ponies were spitting and gagging while the counter pony was calling out for help and for water. She hurried out to see what was wrong as her friends entered the shop at the same time.

"What's going on here?" Twilight Sparkle asked, confused to see partly eaten truffles and bonbons lying on the floor, and magically grabbed Pinkie Pie's tail to keep her from going after them.

"I haven't the foggiest idea," Salted Caramel admitted as Coco Latté hurried into the room with several pitches of water, and the Mane Seven went to work on serving cups of water to the affected ponies. She magically picked up one of the eaten chocolates and examined it. "What happen when you took a bite of this bonbon?" she asked Lyra.

"I was expecting my favorite toffee filling when I bite into it," Lyra answered, "and all I really got was a mouthful of salt instead!"

Coco Latté and Salted Caramel exchanged confused looks. "Salt?" they repeated and they got the same stories from Derpy and Dr. Hooves, too. Their respective truffles had too much salt in them, too.

"I think we better double-check the chocolates that you all made today be-" Sunrise Blossom began when the door banged open and Mayor Mare stomped inside, carrying a Funville Chocolates box in her mouth "-ore anything else happens. Too late."

The mayor of Ponyville stalked up to the counter and slammed the box onto it, and she turned to glare at Coco Latté. "These are _not_ the cute chocolate bears I ordered!"

"What do you mean, madam mayor?" Coco Latté inquired, perplexed. "I'm sure that they're the bears you ordered as I finished making them yesterday and stored them away in that box with your name on it."

Mayor Mare snorted and shoved the box toward the shop owner. "Really? Then please take a _look_ yourself," she requested, her eyes flashing with anger behind her glasses.

Deciding to humor the mayor, Coco Latté magically opened the box to take a peek and yelped, dropping the box on the floor, where several white chocolate bears with red bowties tumbled out, and the other ponies gasped when they saw that the bears had angry faces instead of cute faces. "Sweet Celestia! Those _aren't_ the bears I made for you, I promise!"

"Sunrise's right," said Applejack, "we better check the rest of 'em chocolates right away."

* * *

It took a few hours, but eventually the ponies figured out that nearly every single chocolate that'd been made that morning had either a lot of salt in them or had been corrupted somehow, turning them nasty instead of cute.

"Who could have done this?" Coco Latté wondered, shocked and upset to see all of their hard work ruined.

"I don't know, Aunt Coco," said Salted Caramel, "but I can promise you that I'm to find out who could've done this to the chocolates."

"And we're going to help," Twilight Sparkle stated. "Come on, girls, we've got work to do."

"Right!"

They were going to solve this mystery no matter what. Who would dare sabotage the chocolate shop?

* * *

A/N: Who indeed? Yes, now the real mystery begins. See you tomorrow! Bye! ;) R&R everyone!


	4. Chapter 4: WHODUNIT?

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Chocolate Mystery

A/N: I completely respect your decisions, Roleplayer48, and I won't hold it against you if you choose to stop reading this story. See you tomorrow. ;)

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOUR: WHODUNIT?**

The group went upstairs to Salted Caramel's bedroom to going over what they knew about the mystery of who would dare mess with the chocolates and why. So far, what they did know, was that somepony had somehow managed to put a large amount of salt in the containers that held the fillings for the truffles and bonbons, and that the saboteur managed to change the faces of the chocolate animals.

* * *

"So, whoever is behind this," said Twilight Sparkle, pacing the floor. "The saboteur must have magic in order to change the faces of the chocolate bears, and the other chocolate animals, after they'd been made. And if this saboteur has magic, then that narrows the possible subjects down to that of unicorns."

"There are a number of unicorns living in Ponyville, Twilight," Sunrise Blossom pointed out, "but I think it's safe to say that you, Rarity, Salted Caramel, Coco Latté, and I wouldn't do anything to sabotage the shop. Of course, that still leaves quite a number of unicorns in town, and that doesn't help much does it?"

"Maybe it could be Shadow Star?" Fluttershy suggested. "I know we haven't seen or heard from her since the incident four years ago, but do you think she would want to ruin the shop?"

Applejack made a face. "Oh, I _really_ hope not."

Salted Caramel looked between them, confused. "Who's Shadow Star?"

Sunrise Blossom sighed. "Shadow Star used to run the Starlight Apothecary until Princess Celestia sent me to Ponyville to take it over since she was running the shop into the ground," she explained. "It turns out that Shadow Star had been practicing dark magic, and four years ago, she kidnapped the fillies and foals from the school with an intent to drain them of their life forces in order to make herself young and immortal so that she could take over Equestria. We managed to delay her long enough for Princess Celestia to arrive and stop her, but this doesn't seem like her style."

"Oh, I've heard about that particular female," Salted Caramel recalled. "And every rumor I've heard has hinted that she's hiding in the Everfree Forest. However, it really doesn't seem like she could behind this either."

"Shame, I wouldn't have mind teaching Shadow Star a lesson," Rainbow Dash grumbled. "Ok, so if a unicorn _is_ behind this, which unicorn and why?"

"I hate to say it," said Rarity slowly, "but maybe it could be Night Harvest. You did say that he did threaten your family once before, darling."

Salted Caramel sighed. "Yeah, it could be possible that Night Harvest is behind this," she admitted. "But his magic has never been that powerful."

"Actually, the spell that could change the faces of the chocolate animals is a fairly simple one," Twilight Sparkle pointed out. "So, he could've done it."

"But how do we prove it?" Fluttershy wondered.

"We could spy on him," Pinkie Pie suggested brightly, and her friends were staring at her. "What? If we're going to prove whether or not that Night Harvest is behind what happen to the chocolates, then we should _definitely_ spy on him to be sure."

Sunrise Blossom blinked. "Um, well, that's a good idea, Pinkie," she admitted. "Mind you, we'll have to do it without letting him know that he's being followed," she added.

"You all will have to spy on him," said Salted Caramel. "My aunt is gonna need me here to hep – I mean help around the shop in order to undo the sabotage."

"Caramel, you can't keep avoiding Night Harvest," Applejack pointed out. "At some point, you're gonna have to face him, sugarcube."

"I know, I know."

* * *

While Salted Caramel remained at Funville Chocolates, the Mane Seven headed out into town to locate and determine whether Night Harvest was responsible for the sabotage or not. Well, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy were going to spy on Night Harvest, Sunrise Blossom needed to get back to the Apothecary.

* * *

At the Apothecary, Sunrise Blossom was restocking some of the shelves when the bell over the door rang and she turned to greet the potential customer. "Hello, welcome to Star-" she began and stopped when she saw Night Harvest. "Er, welcome to Starlight Apothecary," she finally said after clearing her throat. "I am Sunrise Blossom, and how may I help you?" she asked politely.

"Hello," said Night Harvest with an accent that was similar to Salted Caramel's. "I have some questions about what kind of potions you make here."

"Of course," the orange unicorn agreed, moving behind the counter. "What kind of potions are you interested in?"

"Actually, I'm interested in a single kind of potion," Night Harvest corrected her in a condescending tone. "What do you know about love potions?"

Sunrise Blossom blinked. "Love potions?" she repeated and the stallion nodded. "Oh – oh – oh well, well, I'm sorry, sir," she said politely despite her stammering. "But love potions are quite restrictive and unless you have written consent from whichever pony you intend to give this potion to, and written consent from Princess Celestia herself, I can't make a love potion for you, sir."

"Are you sure?" Night Harvest asked with a cold tint appearing in his eyes.

"Very sure," the orange unicorn said firmly. "If you do manage to get consent from the Princess and whoever you intend to give the love potion to, then I will make a love potion for you, but until then, I can't. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No, no, that's all," Night Harvest said coldly, and he left the shop.

The moment he was gone, Sunrise Blossom shivered and went to write a letter to let Twilight Sparkle and the others know about her encounter with the stallion. _'They need to know_ now _!'_

* * *

A/N: Who thinks Night Harvest is up to something? Share your thoughts in your review. See you all tomorrow! ;) R&R everyone!


	5. Chapter 5: MORE SABOTAGE

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Chocolate Mystery

A/N: Just one more chapter after this for those who have been enjoying this story.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIVE: MORE SABOTAGE**

That night, the shops were locked up tight, and many were hoping that whoever had sabotaged the chocolates last night wouldn't be able to break into Funville Chocolates again. However, when the sun rose the next morning, the ponies were alarmed to discovered that Funville Chocolates was sabotaged again, _and_ Starlight Apothecary was sabotaged, too.

* * *

"Ergh, of all the stupid…" Sunrise Blossom began, glaring at what had once been her workroom, but was now a disaster site. When she got up that morning, she'd gone downstairs to get something from the back of the Apothecary, and she'd discovered that somepony had managed to break in and had wrecked the place: All over the floor were pieces of glass, herbs, liquids, pieces of clay, and even the table and chairs had been smashed into pieces. "I refuse to make a love potion for Night Harvest, and I wake up to this!"

"So, you think that Night Harvest is behind the sabotage?" Spike asked, having been updated on the two events.

"He _has_ to be," said Salted Caramel angrily. "This is the sort of thank – I mean _thing_ that he would do back in Hoofton against those who refused to help him or do something for him, even if it was illegal."

"But, how do we prove it?" Fluttershy wondered. "How can we catch him in the act?"

Twilight Sparkle shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted, "but maybe we all can come up with something after we help clean up this mess."

Seeing that as a good idea, the Mane Seven, Spike, and Salted Caramel went to work on cleaning up the workroom and repairing as much of the damage that

they could, and Sunrise Blossom placed in new orders to replace the ruined supplies, although she knew that she could get some replacements from Zecora.

* * *

After helping make repairs at both Funville Chocolates and the Apothecary, the group went to the library to see if there was anything in the books that could help them put a stop to the sabotage, and also help them figure out whether Night Harvest was responsible behind the sabotage at both shops before it was too late.

* * *

"How about this spell that can compel a pony to speak the truth?" Rarity suggested, showing them the spell in a book she was looking through.

Twilight Sparkle glanced at the spell and shook her head. "No, once that spell is casted, it can't be undone for a full week," she pointed. "And you can just imagine how bad that would be the pony under the spell and the ponies around them."

Rarity made a face. "Fair point, too much truth can do more harm then good," she agreed and quickly glanced at Applejack. "No offense to you, darling."

"None taken," Applejack assured the grey unicorn. "While honesty can be good for the soul, too much can certainly be a bad thing."

The group resumed looking through the books, and after several hours had passed, they were about to give up when something collided with the door, making them jump.

Spike hurried to the door and opened it, jumping back as Derpy toppled inside, and Sunrise Blossom hurried to the pegasus' side.

"Derpy, are you ok?" she asked, helping Derpy up.

"I'm fine," Derpy assured her and took out a letter from her mailbag, presenting it to her. "Urgent message from the mayor."

The orange unicorn paid her and opened the letter as Derpy flew off to deliver the rest of the mail on her route. She read the letter and grimaced. "Bad news, girls, Mayor Mare has discovered that Sugarcube Corner _and_ Rich's Barnyard Bargains have been been hit by the saboteur, too."

" _What?!_ " Pinkie Pie shrieked and ran out of the library and the others hurried after her.

* * *

When they reached Sugarcube Corner and entered the shop, they found that the front room was a disaster area: the pies, cakes, cookies, fudge, brownies, and cupcakes were all smashed and smeared across the floor, the glass was shattered, the tables and chairs were smashed, and the Cakes were devastated.

"Oh the _horror!_ " Pinkie Pie wailed and sank to the floor, not caring that she was getting dirty by the mess. "The _horror!_ "

The other ponies were staring in shock when Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo ran up with panicked expressions. "Rarity! Rarity! You got to get to Carousel Boutique! It's been hit."

Rarity's eyes widened with alarm and she raced out of the shop to get to her boutique. The others were about to follow when Big Mac ran out, nearly out of breath, and his expression was filled with panic.

"Oh please, _tell me_ that Sweet Apple Acres hasn't been hit by the saboteur," Applejack pleaded and Big Mac nodded his head sadly. "Gosh darn it! Now this fellow has gone _too far!_ " she raged, throwing her hat on the floor.

And Applejack wasn't the only pony fed up by the acts of sabotage taking place in the shops around town, and at Sweet Apple Acres. Nearly every shop was being targeted by the saboteur during the next week, and no matter which protection spells that were used, the saboteur still managed to gain access to the locations every time.

* * *

"Ok, this has _got_ to stop," Salted Caramel complained as she helped Coco Latté and her friends clean up and repair the damage to the front room. "I know that I'd been a boiling – I mean _avoiding_ Night Harvest, but that's gonna top – I mean _stop_ right now," she vowed. "It's time to face him and end this once and for all."

"And I think I know how we can do that," said Twilight Sparkle, and she shared with them the plan she'd been mulling over ever since the first act of sabotage had occurred. "We're going to set a trap."

"I like it."

"So do I."

"It's perfect, darling."

"Yahoo! About time we got some action around here."

"This is going to be _so_ cool!"

"Great idea, Twi."

"Yipee!"

"Yay."

"I'm _totally_ in!"

* * *

A/N: And I can safely say at this time, that _some pony_ has been helping whoever is behind this, and the truth will come out in the final chapter. R&R everyone!


	6. Chapter 6: CONFRONTATION

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Chocolate Mystery

A/N: Hey, guys, here's the final chapter for this story and it's time to solve the mystery.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIX: CONFRONTATION**

That night, a cloaked figure hurried through the empty streets of Ponyville, heading to Funville Chocolates, and, after looking around, it magically unlocked the back door and entered the shop. Shutting and locking the door, the figure moved through the back and into the front of the shop, where it paused to look around before lowering the hood to reveal itself to be Night Harvest.

' _These fools will_ never _learn,'_ he thought as his horn began to glow with magic that was still dark brown, but it was now tinted with red, and even his own eyes were tinted with red. _'Once I've disrupted the shop enough that it start losing business, then Salted Caramel_ will _return to Hoofton with me.'_

Turning to one of the shelves filled with different kinds of chocolate, Night Harvest fired a magic beam at them, only for it to disappear when it hit a pink/green shield that also disappeared after dissolving the beam. Perplexed, he tried again, and the same shield appeared, dissolving his magic once again. "How is this possible?"

"It's possible," said Salted Caramel's voice and the stallion whirled around as the lights came on, revealing her at the base of the stairs with her aunt and her friends on either side of her, "because my friends and I have been waiting for you to show up, and now we have proof that you're been sabotaging the shops."

Night Harvest smirked. "And just _who_ will believe a little pony like _you_ instead of a stallion like _me_?" he inquired.

"I will believe her," said a familiar voice and the stallion's heart sank when Princess Celestia came down the stairs with two of her royal guards, and the ponies all bowed and parted so that she could approach the unicorn stallion. "Night Harvest, I'm very, _very_ disappointed that you would resort to sabotage and dark magic to get what you want," she scolded gently and he hung his head in shame.

"I'm sorry, Princess," Night Harvest apologized. "I – I just wanted Salted Caramel to come back with me, since I miss having her around at the restaurant. And a unicorn I meet while in Manehatten, she told me that if I used dark magic, I could win her back. So I took her advice, along with this book" he magically removed a dark leather book from inside his cloak and presented it to the Princess "and learned spells that allowed me to enter the shops in order to sabotage them."

Princess Celestia magically accepted the book and gave it to one of her guards. "Night Harvest, who was the pony that gave you that book?" she inquired.

"I don't know," Night Harvest admitted. "All I know is that she has grey skin, dark purple eyes, her mane and tail were braided and mostly white with some black, and her cutie mark was a glass bottle with a black star inside it."

"Shadow Star," Sunrise Blossom whispered, recognizing the description.

Princess Celestia knew that her student was right, but she wasn't about to let on that a shiver of fear had gone down her own spine. "Night Harvest, I know that you are a good pony at heart," she said in a kind voice, "and I expect you to help pay back all of the ponies whose businesses you were harming, and promise me that you will _never_ practice dark magic again."

"I promised, Princess," Night Harvest promised, "I _promised_. Starting tomorrow, I will help undo all the harm that I've done."

"Excellent."

* * *

Night Harvest was true to his word, early the next morning, he went around Ponyville apologizing to the shop ponies, even to Granny Smith, and paid for all the repairs that were needed for the shops, the stores, and even Sweet Apple Acres. It took some time, but he eventually managed to help restore the places to their original states.

During all of this, Princess Celestia sent out more patrols to search Equestria for Shadow Star, and she did confirm to the Mane Seven, Salted Caramel, and Coco Latté that the book Night Harvest had been given was indeed one of the many books used by the Lady of Shadows.

Knowing that Shadow Star was still on the loose and still had access to such dark magic left the ponies uneasy, but they knew that unless that particular unicorn resurfaced in Ponyville, the best thing that they could do was move on with their lives, and that's what they did.

* * *

"Once again, I'm _really_ sorry that I did all of that to you and the rest of Ponyville, Caramel," Night Harvest apologized to Salted Caramel as they waited for the train to take him back to Hoofton. "I don't know why I started treating you like a thing instead of a friend, and I wish I could go back in time and change that."

"I know, Night," said Salted Caramel with a sad smile. "You made a hoof – a goof, and the best thing you can do is learn from that mistake so that you don't make it again."

Night Harvest smiled. "Thanks, Caramel." They then exchanged a hug as the train pulled into the station. "Well, this is me leaving."

"Yeah," Salted Caramel agreed. "Although I hope you'll visit again sometime as a boyfriend. I mean as a friend!" she corrected herself, her cheeks flushing a little.

Night Harvest chuckled. "As a friend it is," he agreed, magically picking up the bags, and he noogie her head, making her squeal a little, and then he boarded the train. From one of the windows, he waved as the train pulled away from the station and headed down the tracks.

' _I'm glad that things have been worked out for the better,'_ Salted Caramel thought, turning away, and she headed back to the shop since she had work to do.

* * *

A/N: Yup, Shadow Star was up to no good and she used Night Harvest to cause trouble for every pony. R&R everyone!


End file.
